Suspendible device for holding items, particularly for suspension on a ladder.
Suspendible containers are often helpful to users of ladders, scaffolding, ledges and the like. These users often require the containers to hold their tools and other work items. Examples of such tools and items include paintbrushes, cans of paint, and tools used by window washers and builders. The number of possible uses for ladders and elevating apparatus, and the tools required for such uses, is unlimited. The prior art teaches a number of suspendible containers that can be elevated from building surfaces such as ladders, scaffolding and ledges. However, the prior art primarily is limited to containers that clamp to the edges of the top caps or rungs of a ladder or other elevating building surfaces. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,810 (the xe2x80x9c""810 patentxe2x80x9d) entitled xe2x80x9cTool and Parts Tray.xe2x80x9d The ""810 patent discloses a suspendible ladder pan that is attachable to the top cap or rungs of a ladder through the use of an adjustable clamping member.
Many ladders today are manufactured with holes in their top caps. However, none of the prior art teaches a removable suspendible device that can be suspended exclusively from these holes on the top caps of ladders.
The present invention relates to a suspendible container for holding items, such as tools and paint cans, that is capable of being attached to a horizontal surface containing holes. At least one prong is attached to a container at one end, and at the other end is removably insertable into the hole on the horizontal surface. Preferably, the container has two prongs, which are adjustable along three dimensions, thereby enabling the container to be attached to a horizontal surface having holes of numerous configurations.
The present invention is particularly adaptable to be suspended from the top cap of a ladder. Top caps of ladders, typically are constructed with holes of various configurations. The adjustable nature of the prongs of the invention enable the container to be suspended from a variety of ladders containing a variety of configurations of holes. In addition, the adjustability of the prongs enables the bottom surface of the container to lay flat even as the ladder is positioned at various levels of inclination. In a preferred embodiment, the dimensions of the container are sufficient for holding tools, paint cans, and other items often needed by the users of ladders. The suspension of the container from the top cap of a ladder enables the user to have access to items inside the container while standing on the ladder.
Because the prongs of the device are removably insertable into a number of ladders, the device is both easy to use, efficient, and economical. The device, however, is not limited to use only with ladders, it may be used on scaffolding or other ledges that contain horizontal surfaces containing holes. In addition, the container could include a removable and/or rotatable lid for protecting items in the container.
In the preferred embodiment, the adjustable prongs are comprised of a horizontal member that is perpendicularly attached to a vertical member. The horizontal member is attached to a flange which is perpendicularly attached to the top edge of one of the sidewalls of the container. The horizontal member is adjustably attached to the flange and the vertical is adjustably attached to the horizontal member.